Buggy-top.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

J. 0. CRAIG.

BUGGY. TOP, AlPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 3,1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CHARLES CRAIG, OF KINMOUNT, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JOHN .T. KENYON, OF LINDSAY, CANADA, AND JOHN T. LAKING, OF HALIBURTON, CANADA.

BUG-GY-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed September 3, 1907. Serial No. 391,282.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN CnAnLEs CRAIG, of the village of Kinmount, in the county of Victoria, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buggy-Tops, of which the following is the specification.

Myinventionrelates to improvements in buggy tops, and the object of the invention is to devise a buggy top more simple and cheap in construction and less liable'to get out of order than the ordinary buggy top.

A further object is to make the buggy top more durable and easy to move.

A still further object is to make the buggy top of such a form as to be readily raised and.

lowered without wrinkling or crimping the leather or other covering, and. this obviates the consequent rapid deterioration of such covering usually incident to other tops of the bow type.

My invention consists of a top having rigid side frames preferably of steel and connected together by cross bars, supporting brackets attached to the front of the seat body at the sides and having pivoted therein the front corner of the side frames, the back of the bottom bar of the side frames being sprung and held in a cushion formed between lugs inclined at the bottom and top retaining bars, the arts being arranged and constructed in detai as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1, is a perspective view of a top made in accordance with my invention showing it raised and the covering removed, but indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2, is a side elevation showing the top lowered. Fig. 3, is a perspective detail of the bracket, and Fig. 4, is a side elevation of the bracket show ing the lugs in section. Fig. 5, is a detail of the fastener for holding the sleeve like front of the top in position.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

A is the seat body having the sides A and B are straddle brackets secured to the front of the sides Aand formed with a crossbar B, which rests on the front projecting portion of the sides A. The tops of the brackets B are provided with laterally extending trunnions B as indicated in Figs. 3- and 4.

B is an eye formed at the inside of the bracket B as indicated.

C are inclined side blocks located one on each side of the seat at the back.

D are the side frames of the top, which are formed of the top curved arc-shaped side D, the arc-shaped front side D the arc-shaped bottom side D and the vertical back side D. The corner of the front and bottom sides is provided with an inwardly extending lug D having an outer projection D extending at right angles thereto at the outer end, and an are-shaped projection D extending from the same side intermediate of the length of the lu The corner D is also provided with a ho e D opposite the hole D" in the lug D. The lugs D and D extend rearwardly. Into these holes D and D extend lugs B which form part of the sides B of the bracket, which are spring sides and capable of ap proaching each other at the top.

The manner of attaching the lower front corners of the side frames to the bracket and of releasing the same I shall presently describe.

The top bars D of the side frames D are connected together by the curved bars E preferably made of steel and suitably fastened to the bar D.

F is a roller journaled in suitable bearings in the vertical back bars D and provided with a curtain F, which is provided with the usual eyelets at the bottom designed to be inserted on the hooks G at the back of the body of the seat as shown in Fig. 2. The roller F may be preferably a spring actuated roller if desired.

H are stop plates secured at the top back edge of the seat and projecting over the inclined block C. The-stop plates H are designed to form a support for the sides D of the side frame D when the top is thrown back and down into the position shown in Fig. 2.

I are spring strips secured to the top sides D at the front and projecting forwardly in curved form and having an eye I as indi cated. Passing through the eye is a suitable bolt, which connects to the outer end of the spring strips I the retaining brace J, which is fastened in the position shown in the drawings, so as to cause the front of the top to dip by means of the divided spring pin K the two ends of which press together in order to allow of the bar being slipped on to the pin or ofl of it. The braces J are provided with two holes J and J the hole J being that through which the pin K extends when the top is up and the hole J being that through which the pin K extends when. the top is thrown down into the position shown in Fig. 2. In this position it will be quite readily seen, that the strips I are drawn down close to the front bars D in order to effectually close in the space at the back of the seat and prevent dust settling on'the curtain and inside of the top.

The frame forming the top is provided with any suitable form of cover and side curtains as indicated by dotted lines, the material being immaterial.

It will be seen on reference to Fig. 1., that the back of the bottom side bars B are supported on the tops of the inclined blocks C and in order to throw the top down all it is necessary to do is to spring the bars D outwardly, so that they pass the outer edge of the inclined blocks C when the top may be readily thrown down into the position shown in Fig. 2.

To take the top down the rear ends of the bars D may be still sprung farther outwardly, so as to pass the ends of the stop plates II when the top may be thrown forwardly, thereby causing the lugs D formed on the lugs D to pass from between the side tops of the side bars B of the bracket B. The side bars Bmay thenbe pressed together thus drawing the lugs B inwardly from the holes D and D when the corners of the bars D and D may be drawn upwardly and the top disconnected from the brackets B and removed.

In order to place the top on again it is simply necessary to press the top of the side bars of the bracket B inwardly again and spring the corners of the sides D D of the side frames into position in exactly the reverse manner in which. they are taken apart.

I provide side arms L for the seat, such arms being securely fastened to the back of the seat and being curved at the front and extending through the eyes B of the brackets B.

In such a top as I describe there is no folding of the material of which it is composed, and consequently no injurious effect thereon, nor is there any folding of the side curtains, but the whole of the material passes down in practically the same position as what it is when the top is up and in use.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a buggy top, the combination with brackets attached to the sides of the seat at the front, of side frames pivotally connected to the brackets and connected together at the top and supporting inclined blocks at the back of each side of the seat upon which the backs of the sides of the side frames are supported and over the edges of which such sides are sprung to lower the top as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with brackets secured to the front of the sides of the seat and the rigid side frames pivotally connected thereto and connected by cross bars forming a support for the material, of laterally ex tending stop plates fastened to the back of the seat and securely extending over the tops of the bottom side bars of the rigid frames as and for-the purpose specified.

3. The combination with brackets secured to the front of the sides of the seat and the rigid side frames rigidly connected thereto and connected by cross bars forming a support for the material, of laterally extending stop plates fastened to the back of the seat and securely extending over the tops of the bottom side bars of the rigid frames, and inclined supporting blocks for the bottom of the side bars of the side frames as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination with the top having the rigid side frames having holes in the bottom lower corners of the converging bottom and front sides and inwardly extending lugs having off-set projections provided with holes opposite the holes in the corners, and supporting brackets having the side bars provided with laterally extending pins or trunnions extending into the oppositely set holes in the corners of the side frames and lugs as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination with the top having the rigid side frames having holes in the bot tom lower corners of the converging bottom and front sides and inwardly extending lugs having off-set projections provided with holes opposite the holes in the corners, and supporting brackets having the side bars provided with laterally extending pins or trunnions extending into the oppositely set holes in the corners of the side frames and lugs, and supplemental lugs designed to extend between and hold the sides of the brackets rigid when the top is up or down and yet allow when the top is thrown forwardly from the back of the side bars being pressed together as and for the purpose specified.

JOHN CHARLES CRAIG. [n s] Witnesses:

LEONARD V. NEsBITT, E. MAY WALLACE. 

